Maryland Texas Holdem

The Texas holdem poker scene is alive in the state of Maryland.

The recent addition of the MGM National Harbor casino and poker room has only
further strengthened this. While Maryland Live! dominated the poker scene for
several years, they now have tough competition in MGM. But given how the game is
expanding in the state, and the fact that more players will be commuting in from
neighbouring states, this isn’t too much of an issue and there’s certainly
enough demand for both large rooms to be running.

On top of these two premier rooms you’ll also find poker at the Horseshoe
Casino in Baltimore, which is operated by Caesars Entertainment, and the
Hollywood Casino in Perryville. While these are both a little bit smaller than
MGM and Maryland Live! they still offer a wide range of games and always have
some action.

The game of choice in Maryland is no limit Texas holdem. All tournament play
in the below listed poker rooms are in this variant, with only some cash games
tables offering Omaha, limit holdem and mixed games. If you prefer these
variants you’ll need to visit the larger poker rooms on the weekends and when
it’s busier, to ensure there is a suitable game running.

Stakes wise you should be able to find a game that suits your budget. For all
you high rollers out there you’ll find some larger games at Maryland Live! and
MGM, while these rooms, and the others in the state, also offer low stake games
generally starting at $1 / $2 no limit Texas holdem. One of the better things
about poker here is that the buy in ranges are very wide, so you can come into
games with a deep stack so you can extract maximum value if you have a solid
game. This is always a good thing for the player.

Gaming in Maryland is quite common and accepted, with multiple casinos
running in the state as well as lottery, bingo, horse and dog racing, and
raffles. You won’t have to go far to get a taste of gaming with the casinos and
establishment being evenly spread geographically around the state.

The industry is highly regulated though and there’s a stringent permit and
regulation process for operating and running casinos or gaming establishments.
The state has always been supportive of gaming in one form or another, mainly
because they have a long history with horse racing and the fact the Preakness
Stakes is held each year in Baltimore. This is, of course, one of the famed
Triple Crown races and is held on the third Saturday in May each year.

Online Poker

Online poker is not permitted under Maryland law and they have no legislation
in place for organisations to receive a permit to run an online card room out of
the state. This law doesn’t extend to Maryland residents however, and there’s
nothing that specifically states you can’t play at an off shore online poker
room.

Although at the federal level this isn’t really permitted and the government
has held the major sites to account in this respect, you can still play online
although at most reputable sites you’ll be breaching their terms and conditions.
While a simple VPN set up can get you around this, it’s unadvisable and we
wouldn’t recommend you do this.

Not only is it opening you up to a grey area of legislation in the United
States, but you’re also risking the integrity of the games online by doing so.
Due to the relaxed nature of Maryland in respect to live poker games, it’s
likely that in the next few years they may regulate online play, but it’ll take
some time and some other key neighbouring states to take the plunge first.

In general, your prospects are quite good if you live in Maryland and like to
play Texas holdem poker. You have some great rooms in MGM National Harbor and
Maryland Live! and the popularity of the game is still strong.

This means you’ll come across a good mix of professionals, amateurs, and
first time players at the table which always makes things interesting and
ensures that the poker economy is strong. The game will only continue to improve
if they regulate online poker soon and continue to offer great service in the
live rooms.

List of Maryland Poker Rooms

Here is our compiled list of all the poker rooms you can find in the state of
Marlyand:

Hollywood Casino Perryville

• Location: Perryville, Maryland
• Hours: Monday to Thursday from 9am until 5am, Friday to Monday open 24 hours
  until Monday at 5am
• Tables: 8
• Games: Up to three no limit holdem tournaments are held here each day, with
  free-rolls up to $100 buy ins being available, you should be able to find a game
  at the right price for you. If you are looking for a cash game you’ll find $1 /
  $2, $2 / $5 and $5 / $10 no limit holdem games running here.
• Ambience: This poker room features red felt tables against a modern decor.
  The room is completely non-smoking and they have TVs on the walls to keep you
  entertained while you play. There is plenty of space in the room and it’s
  partially separate from the rest of the casino in one corner so you won’t be
  distracted too much while you play.
• Hospitality: Comps can be earned while you play through the Club Hollywood
  program and you’ll also receive cocktail and food service at the table while you
  play. They also offer promotions and jackpots including a high hand prize.
• Players: The standard of play in this room is decent, somewhere in between
  terrible and tough. You’ll usually come across one or two hyper aggressive
  players on the table and the rest will be mostly standard players who are in it
  for a bit of fun. Dealers and staff in the room are helpful and knowledgeable
  and will ensure you are looked after when you play.

Horseshoe Baltimore

• Location: Baltimore, Maryland
• Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
• Tables: 25
• Games: If you are looking for tournament play you will find at least one, and
  sometimes two, no limit holdem events each day. The buy in ranges from $65 up to
  $350, depending on the day and time of the event. For the cash players they
  spread $1 / $3, $2 / $5, $5 / $10 and $10 / $20 no limit holdem, $3 / $6, $5 /
  $10, $10 / $20, $20 / $40, $30 / $60 and $40 / $80 limit holdem and $5 / $10
  limit Omaha 8 or better.
• Ambience: This no smoking room features TVs on the walls to keep you
  entertained between hands and clean and well maintained tables and comfortable
  chairs. The green felt tables sits in well with the brown and beige decor in
  this modern yet traditional poker room, it’s well-lit and is a really nice place
  to play.
• Hospitality: This poker room offers a huge number of cash prizes for bad
  beats and also high hands. So make sure you check in with room staff on what’s
  available when you play. You can earn comps here through the Total Rewards
  program, and they’ll also provide you with frequent food and cocktail service so
  you need never miss a vital hand during your session.
• Players: The dealers in this room are great, and run a fast and accurate
  game. Management is OK but they seem to favor regulars a little bit which is a
  bit backwards. You’ll find some very loose action in this room which means
  you’ll need to bring a solid game and some patience. On weekend evenings the
  room is pumping and you’ll be able to find a lot of value in most of the limit
  and no limit games.

Maryland Live! Casino at Arundel Mills

• Location: Hanover, Maryland
• Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
• Tables: 52
• Games: You’ll find up to two tournaments every day here except Saturday. The
  game is mostly always no limit holdem and the buy in ranges from $100 to $150.
  For the cash players out there they spread $1 / $2, $2 / $5, $5 / $10 and $10 /
  $25 no limit holdem, $2 / $2, $5 / $5 and $10 / $10 pot limit Omaha high, $4 /
  $8 limit Omaha 8 or better, $4 / $8 limit holdem and $8 / $16 mixed games.
• Ambience: This no smoking poker room is huge and features clean red felt
  tables with brown trim against a modern brown and beige decor. The lighting is
  soft and the chairs comfortable which is great for a long session. In the room
  itself they also have TVs placed on the walls to keep you entertained between
  hands.
• Hospitality: Maryland Live! poker room offers players cocktail and food
  service at the table while they play, as well as the opportunity to earn comps
  at a rate of $1 per hour through the Live! rewards program. They also run a
  range of promotions and jackpots including high hand bonuses.
• Players: You’ll find some very tough players in this poker room, particularly
  in the higher limit games. In the low limits the play will be softer yet very
  aggressive, so you’ll need to show some patience and think every hand through in
  order to do well. They really do look after the player here and offer some
  excellent amenities and services, especially since some stiff competition opened
  up. This is one of the premier rooms in Maryland and it’s always a relaxed and
  fun place to play.

MGM National Harbor

• Location: Oxon Hill, Maryland
• Hours: 24 hours, 7 days
• Tables: 39
• Games: You’ll find $1 / $3, $2 / $56, $5 / $10, $25 / $50 and $50 / $100 no
  limit holdem, $1 / $2, $5 / $5, $5 / $10, $10 / $25, $25 / $50 and $50 / $100
  pot limit Omaha high and $10 / $20 and $15 / $30 limit holdem cash games in this
  poker room. For the tournament players they run no limit holdem events on
  Monday and Wednesday at 11am with a buy in of $120.
• Ambience: This brand new non-smoking poker room is well-lit, modern and great
  on the eye. It’s a comfortable place to play with TVs on the walls to keep you
  entertained between hands and comfortable beige chairs. The light brown and
  beige felt tables clash well with the similarly colored walls and carpets. It
  feels like you are playing in a coffee themed room which works very nicely, even
  though it sounds strange. The room itself is connected to the rest of the main
  casino floor so you do get a bit of flow through in respect to noise and foot
  traffic.
• Hospitality: Comps can be earned at a rate of $2 per hour in all games, and
  $3 per hour in time raked games, through the MLife rewards program. While
  playing here you will receive food and cocktail service at the table and they
  run a series of promotions and jackpots for players including high hand bonuses
  and a progressive bad beat jackpot.
• Players: This room only opened in late 2016 and they have really hit the
  marketplace hard in Maryland. The player pool is still increasing and the games
  are becoming more popular here and it’s a great alternative for many who used to
  play at Maryland Live!. The standard of play will be quite different depending
  upon when you visit, with the games being tougher during the week and loosening
  up on the weekend. Dealers and staff here are good and attentive and if you have
  played recently at Horseshoe or Maryland Live! you should recognise a few of
  these faces.

Conclusion

Maryland is a great place to live if you play Teas holdem and it’s great to
visit for poker play. With two big casino players in the small state and two
other poker rooms you don’t need to travel far to play.